"You mean Mo Cang was poisoned by this mother worm?" Lu Yuanfeng asked.
Zhong Li did not answer immediately. Instead, she fiddled with some flocculent objects around the mother worm, took some out, and placed them aside. Then, she took out a small bottle from her waist, poured the pills onto the table, and said, "Sixth Prince, smell what this is."
Lu Yuanfeng was initially resistant. After all, ever since the jar was opened, the entire carriage had been filled with its foul stench.
When he saw the woman opposite him adopt a "don't ask if you don't smell" attitude, he gritted his teeth and leaned closer.
"This smell..."
"Protein doesn't smell bad, does it?" Zhong Li said, putting the pills back into the bottle. "If I'm not mistaken, the main ingredient of these pills is these flocculent objects."
Lu Yuanfeng didn't quite understand what Zhong Li meant by protein, but he had a vague premonition that Zhong Li might already know how to save Lu Wuxie.
"By the way, what is this?" Lu Yuanfeng pointed at the flocculent objects on the table.
"Insect molts."
After speaking, Zhong Li casually closed the lid of the small jar. "Goo poisons are mysterious to begin with, and the腐萤 (fǔ yíng) worm is an insect I was previously unaware of. Cui Ningya, after practicing her gu techniques, obtained the insect king and then used its molted shells to make this gu poison pill. As for the reason, perhaps these molted shells contain fungi that can paralyze the nerves or control behavior.
To detoxify this insect's poison is actually not difficult. It is said that the antidote must be within a hundred paces of the poison's origin. However, the antidote is both far away and right in front of us."
Lu Yuanfeng glanced at the small jar in Zhong Li's hand, recalling the densely packed, worm-like granules when it was first opened, and instantly understood.
As for the paralysis of nerves and fungi she mentioned, he didn't understand, and asking would only earn him a glare from this woman who seemed to have many opinions about him.
"Alright, then I'll have the coachman hurry back to Qingliang Hall."
***
Three days later.
Zhong Li tidied the items in her medicine box and casually closed it, placing it aside. Her gaze swept over the empty pill bottle on the table, and she turned to look at the man sitting on the bed, smiling at her. "You just keep smiling. You don't know how worried I was when I gave you these three doses of medicine."
"Li'er, come here!" Lu Wuxie listened to the person opposite him complaining, his smile deepening. He beckoned her to come closer.
Zhong Li handed the pills to a servant at the door, gave a few instructions, and then walked to Lu Wuxie's side.
"Oh..."
Before she could sit down, a hand suddenly grabbed her fingertip, and Zhong Li naturally fell onto Lu Wuxie.
"Lu Wuxie, you..."
"Li'er, listen!"
Zhong Li's words were interrupted by Lu Wuxie. She followed his direction and listened intently.
"Thump, thump."
"What do you hear?" Lu Wuxie asked.
Zhong Li replied, "Heartbeat?"
Lu Wuxie chuckled lightly. As his body moved, the pleasant scent of dragon's saliva entered her nostrils.
"So, aren't I alive and well? Don't be afraid. I won't die before we have children together, will I?"
Hearing his words, Zhong Li's cheeks blushed. She quickly withdrew from Lu Wuxie's embrace and said, "What about having children? Who wants to have children with you?"
Lu Wuxie let out a laugh, sat up slightly, and reached out to pinch Zhong Li's nose. "Don't deny it. Who said it at the inn in Yuxian?"
"You said it!" Zhong Li remembered, and playfully glared at Lu Wuxie. Her lips pouted slightly, looking quite indignant.
Lu Wuxie's heart skipped a beat. His throat bobbed as he unexpectedly kissed her lips.
Outside Qingliang Hall, a drizzle began to fall, moistening the earth. In the pond, koi entwined, the rain falling and continuing.
An hour later.
Zhong Li sat in the kitchen, fanning herself, with the medicine stove in front of her burning fiercely.
"Li'er, what number dose is this? How is the young master's illness?" Hua Yao, busy with the fruit platter in her hands, glanced outside. Seeing that it was still early, she approached Zhong Li and asked.
"The eighth dose. After this bowl, the gu poison in his body should be mostly cleared. However... just to be safe, he'll have another medicinal bath tomorrow." Zhong Li said, her fanning continuous.
"He's finally better." Hua Yao sighed and said, "Otherwise, if the young master knew you woke up in the middle of the night to boil medicine for him, he would be heartbroken!"
Zhong Li smiled and said, "Since he and I are of one heart and love each other, this is what I should do. It's nothing."
"Mmm..." Hua Yao propped up her chin, looking somewhat sour. "You've reached the stage of 'water flowing into the ditch', but my 'water' doesn't know where it's flowing."
Zhong Li glanced at Hua Yao. Seeing her listless appearance and remembering Lan Heng's attitude towards her a few days ago, she said, "I think it should be soon."
"Hmm? What?" Hua Yao hadn't heard clearly and asked, tilting her head.
Zhong Li remained silent. She picked up a towel from the table, took the medicinal soup, and began to filter it.
"By the way, Li'er, I have a question for you." Hua Yao leaned over, extinguished the fire, and asked Zhong Li.
"What?"
"You said that after the carcass in the cave was soaked in water, that water could really be drunk? And it could cause hallucinations?" Hua Yao asked.
"That's not ordinary water," Zhong Li said, her task finished. She picked up a tray, ready to deliver the medicine.
"Then what kind of water is it?" Hua Yao asked.
"I really don't know, but there must have been medicine added. At the time, I also wanted to bring some of the medicinal water out. I didn't expect that after the Sixth Prince and I came out of there, the Emperor would learn that Cui Ningya was there. Although he didn't blame the Sixth Prince, he was so angry that he completely blew up the hill.
If I want to know even a little, I probably won't have the chance." Zhong Li picked up the tray and walked out of the kitchen, continuing,
"However, I estimate there must have been some hallucinogenic ingredients, such as sagebrush, datura..."
"Oh, I see." Hua Yao nodded and said, "It doesn't matter. The Divine Maiden Cult has been completely leveled. It's best if these things never appear again."
"Isn't that right?" Zhong Li smiled faintly, raising her hand to knock on the door.
"Master, if Miss Zhong finds out about this..."
"Then don't tell her."
...
Zhong Li's hand stopped in mid-air, all her attention drawn to the conversation between Lin Jin and Lu Wuxie.
"Master, the Sixth Prince has already told us that Miss Zhong knows you are the master of Feiyuan Pavilion. We also know her personality. I'm afraid if she becomes suspicious about you deliberately injuring yourself and falling into the water on the merchant ship of the Northern Frontier Gang to lure her to Yongcheng to take risks, we won't be able to hide it."
"If you don't say it, and I don't say it, she won't investigate!" Lu Wuxie's voice was colder than ever.
"And this matter with the Divine Maiden Cult... if she really finds out, will she..."
"Lin Jin, some things are better left buried than spoken. Do you understand?"
"Master, I understand this matter, but I feel that Master truly likes Miss Zhong. By hiding it like this, with her personality, I fear that in the future..."
...
"Eh, Li'er, why aren't you going in?"
Hua Yao walked to Zhong Li's side, seeing her lingering without action, and couldn't help but step forward to inquire.
At the same time, the voices inside the room stopped abruptly.
Zhong Li took a deep breath, turned to look at the confused Hua Yao, and shoved the tray into Hua Yao's hands as she contemplated. "I have something else to do. You deliver this for me!"
With that, she quickly walked away.